Perrytown Fire Station Nears Completion

Perrytown Fire Chief Bud Lee showed me around the new facility yesterday. It is impressive. The group is on track to hold their open house in June, for this great addition to our area's security and safety needs.

Inner Banks Humor - Politics

Thanks to lucianne.com, a favorite sort-of-conservative web site.

"He's Not A Real President, But He Plays One On TV"

by Peter Bronson - March 27th, 2009 - Cincinnati Enquirer

I heard that caustic comment on talk radio and thought: That could stick like glue.

The cartoon we draw in our minds when we think of a president is a lot like epoxy: It's made by mixing different compounds that react with each other and bond together. If you don't work with it before it sets, it hardens and you can't remove it with a hammer and chisel.

The image we're forming of Obama is still soft, but it's starting to dry. And it's beginning to look like a guy who is more infatuated with being a celebrity than a president.

I don't think that treating this threat to liberty with derision will hurt. This article talks about Obama's tacky swagger. Boy is that ever true. I still think the most apt nickname is the "Magic Marxist Messiah" since it details the willingness of his minions to accept total gibberish that pours from his mouth as if it is intelligent dialogue. However I am more than willing to switch over to more open derision as long as it is negative. To use a favorite expression of Obama's minions, "whatever".

NC Unemployment Fourth Highest In Nation At 10.7%

Unemployment Jumps In 49 States

by Aaron Smith - March 27th, 2009 - CNN Money

The most drastic month-to-month increases in the unemployment rate were reported in North Carolina and Oregon, which each saw an increase of 1%. New Jersey also saw a dramatic surge, climbing 0.9% in February.

Why is it that the states with high ... and rising ... unemployment are all dominated by Democrat regimes? North Carolina has been dominated by Democrats for over 100 years. It has been almost 20 years since Republicans even shared some power with Democrats. They have never had control of all branches of government the way Democrats do today. Despite this the voters of North Carolina, on issue after issue which are the responsibility of state government, suffer from the delusion that Republicans are at fault and that Republicans have passed the laws that cause the harm. This was proved by a Civitas poll from last year. The truth that Republicans have not had even partial power in our state for 20 years is not believed by the majority of voters. NOT BELIEVED.

Even some Republicans blame the Republican Party for unpopular laws that were voted in by Democrats. How can a Democracy succeed when the voters are this delusional?

A Conservative Viewpoint - The Left’s Socialist Manifesto

Article by Bob Steinburg
- Edenton, North Carolina: Cradle of the Colony

The late Saul Alinsky, a committed community organizer of the 20th century, was a neo- Marxist who wrote the book “Rules for Radicals.” Alinsky was primarily influenced, not by Karl Marx, but by the 19th century philosopher and co-founder of the Italian Communist Party, Antonio Gramsci.

Gramsci believed in the theory of “Gradualism,” a long methodical march through the permanent institutions of a society that will ultimately capture the existing culture and turn it inside out. He deemed this the most effective means of changing forever western society.

Capitalism and Christianity are primary targets. Weakening or destroying both opens the door for the socialist ideology to secure its foothold. Alinsky argued against the violent tactics to create change radicals used in the `60’s and `70’s. Rather he believed in stealth and deception to achieve a cultural revolution.

In examining U. S. society today, it’s clear to some that the radical left’s agenda is having an impact. Debate is stymied on controversial subjects like homosexuality and racism for fear of one being called a racist or homophobe. The left coddles our enemies like terrorists and criminals, while attacking fellow Americans. They create political distrust in capitalism and ridicule Christians for their beliefs. They’re also advocates for an aggressive re-distribution of wealth by rewriting codes to benefit all those who hurt.

Should benefiting the “hurting” include helping those who owe more money on their home than it’s worth? Using that logic, what about those who own cars that are worth less than owed? How about furniture and/or appliances we bought? Is government responsible for reimbursing us if suddenly we’re not happy with our purchase?

What about failing private industries with incompetent management and/or poor products? Should the taxpayers assume the responsibility for a bailout or a government takeover to insure a company’s survival?

Whatever happened to personal responsibility? Why should “private” companies get billions in “public” money? The answer is: they shouldn’t –at least not in a free-market capitalism economy. The strong and innovative businesses will find a way to survive. The weak, inefficient and poorly mismanaged operations will fall by the wayside. That’s how capitalism works and why it remains the greatest creator of individual wealth in the world. The government can never create wealth; it can only spend ours in the form of tax dollars.

Government is beginning to insert itself more and more into our daily lives. From health care, to banks, to industry-the government is everywhere. It’s hard to deny what is happening in Washington today. We are now moving away from capitalism and toward socialism at an alarming rate. President Bush may have unwittingly further set the wheels of socialism in motion with his ill-advised $700 billion bank bailout plan (TARP); but the Obama administration is taking it to heights never before seen in the history of the world.

Socialism is defined as a political and economic theory that advances a system of collective or government ownership and manages all means of production and distribution. It eventually seeps into every aspect of life, including censorship of the airwaves. This leads to government’s total control over its citizenry.

Charitable giving in the U.S. has always been significant. Citizens donate to provide funding to those with needs; their generosity helps in giving assistance to those in need of shelter, food, medical care or the paying of utility bills. Yet, President Barack Obama’s new tax proposals seek to eliminate or cap those charitable deductions from the income tax returns of those wealthy individuals who give the most.

Obama argues that those folks should altruistically continue giving anyway, regardless of tax deductions. Maybe so. But why risk any contributions drying up, unless the real goal is to drive those being nurtured by charities into the all too welcoming arms of big government? This strategy has been used by the Democrats for decades to retain the votes of many who continue to receive welfare benefits. Government assistance should be a bridge to somewhere, not a road to nowhere.

The threat of socialism, or worse communism, is more a danger today, than at any time in our history. Last fall, conditions were right for the “perfect storm.” The economy was tanking; we were fighting two wars and a left – wing, inexperienced and relatively unknown candidate was running for president- promising everybody, everything. Barack Obama’s campaign mantra of “change” catapulted him into the Oval Office.

By the end of this fiscal year Obama’s spending will have quadrupled the size of the Bush deficits last year. There appears to be no end of spending in site. As a result we might see periodic bumps in the economy in the short-term. But in the long-run, our staggering national debt may require us to surrender our economic sovereignty completely to a more fiscally sound economic power.

In their last issue, Foreign Affairs Magazine cites facts and figures that China definitely is becoming the world’s new economic powerhouse, citing the decline of the U.S., and the trillions China holds in American debt. We must stop the madness in Washington now!

In an editorial from Boston.com last fall, Saul Alinsky’s son David said the following after the Democrats held their convention in Denver: “…The Democratic National Convention had all the elements of the perfect organized event, Saul Alinsky style.” He went on to say, “When executed meticulously and thoughtfully, it is a powerful strategy for initiating change, and making it really happen. Obama learned his lesson well.”

It remains to be seen what that lesson will ultimately mean for the rest of us. But reading the tea leaves thus far, one can reasonably conclude this is not the change for which most Americans voted.

The only point Bob did not make clear is that Barack Obama gained much of his fame among the left's supporters by his MASTERFUL TEACHING OF THE ALINSKY METHOD! He trained ACORN on Alinsky techniques for several years. How can anyone vote for a President who advocates the subversion of democracy by stealth and deceit as his life's goal?

Inner Banks Humor - Marriage

Saturday morning I got up early, quietly dressed, made my lunch, grabbed the dog, and slipped soundlessly into the garage. I hooked up the boat up to the truck, and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour.

The wind was blowing 50 mph, so I pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the weather would be bad all day. I went back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed. I cuddled up to my wife's back, now with a different anticipation, and whispered, 'The weather out there is terrible.'

My loving wife of 30 years replied, 'Can you believe my stupid husband is out fishing in that?'

Thomas Jefferson Quotes

This came in the form of an email (how we get a lot of our information, both true and false nowadays). I liked it and upon a brief check it seems accurate. These are all quotes attributed to Thomas Jefferson. With that proviso, here they are.





"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe."

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."

U.S. Bill Seeks To Rescue Faltering Newspapers

by Thomas Ferraro - March 24th, 2009 - Reuters

With many U.S. newspapers struggling to survive, a Democratic senator on Tuesday introduced a bill to help them by allowing newspaper companies to restructure as nonprofits with a variety of tax breaks.

"This may not be the optimal choice for some major newspapers or corporate media chains but it should be an option for many newspapers that are struggling to stay afloat," said Senator Benjamin Cardin.

A Cardin spokesman said the bill had yet to attract any co-sponsors, but had sparked plenty of interest within the media, which has seen plunging revenues and many journalist layoffs.

Cardin's Newspaper Revitalization Act would allow newspapers to operate as nonprofits for educational purposes under the U.S. tax code, giving them a similar status to public broadcasting companies.

Under this arrangement, newspapers would still be free to report on all issues, including political campaigns. But they would be prohibited from making political endorsements.

Oh yeah. As if that would stop them from trashing Republicans and praising Democrats! I can't decide if this is funny or ridiculous. A taxpayer funded bailout for newspapers. What do you think?

Inner Banks Humor - Politics

Having been embarrassed by the reality that Barack Obama cannot talk without a teleprompter, his handlers fixed that by replacing the teleprompter with ... A HUGE TV!

See it here.

Do they really think this fixes the problem that Obama talks pretty with a script but really doesn't have a clue?

ROTFL

Inner Banks Humor - Politics

From the Beldar Blog!

Obama has dispelled his mystical (and entirely unproven) aura of competence with breathtaking rapidity. I began my mental planning for this post by asking myself: "Self, of all the functions which the Constitution and our modern systems of government entrust to the POTUS, which ones do you still have even a modicum of confidence that Barack Obama is capable of performing? (As compared, say, to the modest but hopeful list which you, as a pretty skeptical conservative, would have constructed for him on his Inauguration Day?)"

Yes, Obama has proved this week that he's capable of reading aloud from a teleprompter, without faltering, not only his own speech but even the speech intended for the Irish Prime Minister. And he's proved that his adoring media are still so much in the bag for him that they'll cover that up for him. But of the medium- and up-sized potatoes on every POTUS' plate, which ones do I confidently still expect Barack Obama to be competent to handle?

I'm genuinely open to more suggestions in the comments. But I could only come up with one: I'm pretty sure he won't arbitrarily and suddenly launch a nuclear strike on Russia. And that's it. That exhausts my list of things I'm confident that Barack Obama won't screw up as POTUS, and I reserve the right to revise my opinion on that.

ROTFL

Tea Time In Edenton Once More

Article by Bob Steinburg
- Edenton, North Carolina: Cradle of the Colony

History has a way of repeating itself. On Oct. 25, 1774 in Edenton, a small colonial village in the province of northeastern North Carolina, the earliest known organized political action by women in U. S. history took place. Penelope Barker, along with some 50 women of the town, organized a tea party. Barker convinced the women present to stop drinking tea and buying English goods. Each signed a petition sent to England, declaring their patriotism and opposition to the tyranny of rule by the crown. The British leadership knew their grip on the colonies was further loosening.

Dr. Troy Kickler of the North Carolina History Project points out that, Edenton was a “hotbed for political debate.” The women at the tea party were basically saying to England, we’re standing with our husbands, families and fellow colonists, united in resistance to our oppression under British rule.

Today, America is a republic with elected legislatures at the national, state and local levels. It’s becoming clear however, that representing us is one of the last things many of our elected officials have on their minds. A new form of tyranny has emerged in the form of many elected representatives paying little or no attention to the will of the people, rather engaging the will of their respective party’s leadership and their often partisan agendas.

The “taxation without representation” slogan that originated from 1763-1776, was a result of colonists believing they lacked direct representation in the British Parliament. Who ever thought that slogan would jump off the pages of America’s history books to embed itself into our present day vernacular?

We are now living in an era of bailouts, spending sprees, so-called stimulus packages, earmarks and fiscal irresponsibility that are beyond the pale. In North Carolina, Gov. Beverly Perdue recently proposed tax increases totaling half a billion dollars in her budget for next year. Ostensibly this spending is to stimulate the Tar Heel state’s ailing economy.

The trillion dollar stimulus bill passed by Congress, and signed by President Barack Obama was to be used primarily for stimulating our economy too. The president and those in Congress supporting this behemoth bill told us there was no time to waste. We must pass it immediately or risk imminent financial collapse, they said. This was such an emergency, they led us to believe, that there was simply no time to waste; apparently not even enough time to read the bill to see what was in it before voting to pass it.

Webster’s defines stimulus as “encouraging an activity,” in this case the government spending money to help our bruised economy recover from its current doldrums. In spite of the stated “immediate” need to act, the Congressional Budget Office reports that only 23 percent of the stimulus money will be spent in this fiscal year. In fact, the spending will occur in unequal annual increments stretching through 2015. The CBO had previously stated the recession would have ended by late 2009 without any stimulus.

Many conservatives opposed the stimulus bill, not only because of its enormity, but because it is too broad in scope. Instead of emphasizing long term job creation as the top priority, this bill was all over the map. Congress should have taken more time reviewing all options from both sides before enacting any stimulus.

In a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed piece Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, states that “Less than 10 percent of the bill could be considered true stimulus….” He goes on to say that “the other 90 percent of the bill represents one of the most egregious acts of generational theft in our nation’s history, with taxpayer money going to special-interest earmarks, and ill-conceived bailout to states…”

Our nation’s unemployment rate is 8.1 percent. North Carolina’s unemployment is just below 10 percent. In northeastern North Carolina Chowan County has an unemployment rate of 12.8; Pasquotank County, 10.6 and Perquimans County 11 percent. Currituck unemployment is 8.8 percent; Camden at 9.8 percent and Carteret at 10.2. Bertie County’s unemployment is at 12 percent; Pamlico, 9.3; Washington County 11.9; Wilson County, 12 and Edgecomb County at 15.6 percent. Dare County has the highest unemployment rate in the state at 17.3 percent.

In spite of these staggering numbers and the entire hullabaloo about “cuts” in our state budget, Gov. Perdue and the Democrats who control our legislature are proposing to increase spending and taxes in this state’s worst recession since President Jimmy Carter.

Folks across America are fed up. Tea Parties are being held in every state. Here citizen’s from all political persuasions will have the opportunity to show those who govern us that we the people have had enough; enough wasteful spending and enough pork; enough irresponsible tax increases and enough catering to special interests; enough corporate bailouts and enough political self interest.

Two hundred thirty five years ago a group of women, ordinary folks, met in a home in Edenton to protest the inequities of those who governed them. Their seemingly innocuous tea party helped forge the humble beginnings of the American Revolutionary War, and the ultimate birth of our republic. We will soon have an opportunity to follow the lead of these brave Edenton women, by reclaiming what is rightfully ours- a voice in the halls of governance that has been emasculated to a whimper.

On Wednesday, April 15th at 5 PM in the shadows of the old Historic 1767 Chowan County Court House in Edenton, ordinary citizens armed with nothing more than a symbolic tea bag can send the same message to those who govern us today that Edenton’s women sent to the English Parliament 235 years ago: We will no longer bend under the oppression we've endured all too long. We demand the voice of governance be returned to where it rightfully belongs; in the hands of the people. Its tea time in Edenton once more.

The huge debt being piled up on our nation is beyond belief. Everyone knows George W. Bush was fiscally irresponsible during his eight years as President. He became even more wasteful with the election two years ago of a liberal Democrat Congress. It was Bush, and this Democrat Congress that ran deficits to their highest level in history last year, including a questionable $350 billion bailout of the banking industry. Despite this, Barack Obama (with the even larger Democrat congressional majorities now in office) is going to increase our national debt more in the first two years than Bush did in eight years. This year Obama's deficit will be FOUR TIMES the worst deficit of George W. Bush and next year the deficit will be more than TWICE the record. Not a good start unless your goal is to raise the deficit so much you can brag about cutting it in half by only doubling the previous worst record ever.

Even the greatest economic power in the history of the world cannot stand such ignorant and wasteful spending. There used to be a saying "The only things certain are death and taxes." Barack Obama has changed that into "The only things certain are DEBT and TAXES."

Even fiscally cautious Democrats are becoming frightened by the huge debt being piled up. They are abandoning the Obama regime effort before it bankrupts our nation. The Tea Party movement is thus, a bipartisan opposition to crushing our nation with Debt and Taxes.

Please bring a tea bag and join us on April 15th at 5:00 PM on the Courthouse Green in Edenton for the SECOND Edenton Tea Party.

To find out more about the Edenton Tea Party, click here.

Windsor Bertie Chamber St. Patrick's Day Party

The Windsor-Bertie County Chamber of Commerce put on a super event last night at our own up-scale hotel, the Inn at Gray's Landing. There were lots of delicious hors deurves and a great sampling of wines, Irish Coffee, Irish Potato Soup and even some California guacamole! (It is green you know.) You should have been there.

Inner Banks Humor - Politics

Barack Obama reads his teleprompter with all the conviction of a master at giving speeches. He is always so SINCERE. However there is a growing uncertainty whether he believes anything that he says. First perfect example? Yesterday Barack Obama apparently read the speech intended to be given by his guest from Ireland and sincerely thanked himself for inviting everyone to the St. Patrick Day Party he was giving. The screw up was not even noticed until the Irish guest realized he was giving the same speech!

ROTFL

Obama Thanks Himself, Irish PM Repeats Speech in Teleprompter Meltdown

by Staff - March 18, 2009 - Associated Press

Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen was just a few paragraphs into an address at a St. Patrick's Day celebration at the White House when he realized something sounded way too familiar. Turns out, he was repeating the speech President Barack Obama had just given.

Cowen was set to speak twice at the White House on Tuesday night because there were two different parties going on at the executive mansion. No matter -- he would give the same speech to the two different audiences.

But Cowen was 20 seconds into his second address when it dawned on him that he was giving word for word the speech that Obama had just read from the same teleprompter.

Cowen stopped and looked back at the president to say, "That's your speech."

Obama laughed and returned to the podium to offer what might have been Cowen's remarks. In doing so, President Obama thanked President Obama for inviting everyone over.

Every day, day by day, the incomeptence of an amateur Presidential regime becomes more and more obvious. The point is that the Irish Prime Minister was wrong. The speech was not Obama's. Obama simply read it first without realizing it was the Prime Minister's speech. However he read it with all the passion and sincerity he always displays when reading any speech.

Can everyone imagine the absolutely humiliating condemnation that would have poured out of the major newspapers if any Republican had committed such a stupid gaffe? Other than conservative blogs, I bet this is a secret that no one will hear about!

Inner Banks Humor - Patriotism

In addition to communicating with the local Air Traffic Control facility, all aircraft in the Persian Gulf AOR are required to give the Iranian Air Defense Radar (military) a ten minute 'heads up' if they will be transiting Iranian airspace. This is a common procedure for commercial aircraft and involves giving them your call sign, transponder code, type aircraft, and points of origin and destination. This conversation was supposedly overheard on the VHF Guard (emergency) frequency 121.5 MHz by a civilian aircraft flying from Europe to Dubai.

Iranian Air Defense Radar: 'Unknown aircraft you are in Iranian airspace. Identify yourself.'

Aircraft: 'This is a United States aircraft. I am in Iraqi airspace.'

Air Defense Radar: 'You are in Iranian airspace. If you do not depart our airspace we will launch interceptor aircraft!'

Aircraft: 'This is a United States Marine Corps FA-18 fighter. Send 'em up, I'll wait!'

Air Defense Radar: (no response .... total silence)

There’s A New Power In America – Atheism

The faithless are a growing force as the churches duck the challenges of the age

by Andrew Sullivan - March 15, 2009 - London Times

Yes, America is far more devout than most of western Europe; but it is not immune to the broader crises facing established religion in the West. The days when America’s leading intellectuals contained a strong cadre of serious Christians are over. There is no Thomas Merton in our day; no Reinhold Niebuhr, Walker Percy or Flannery O’Connor. In the arguments spawned by the new atheist wave, the Christian respondents have been underwhelming. As one evangelical noted in The Christian Science Monitor last week, “being against gay marriage and being rhetorically pro-life will not make up for the fact that massive majorities of evangelicals can’t articulate the Gospel with any coherence”.

Interesting article. Sullivan has not stopped being smart just because he has allowed being gay to run him out of the conservative movement. It is clear that he resents not being accepted in the political arena he prefers if he flaunts his sexuality. Conservatives may be polite to gays but they do not want it to become a public issue. What happens in the bedroom should stay in the bedroom is still the public persona of conservatism and will remain that way for the foreseeable future. In his thoughts about who Sullivan considers leading Christian thinkers, it does strike me as odd that two of the four are writers of fiction.

That said, there is clearly a problem with Christian leaders today. They do not provide, or even tolerate, any intellectual dialog over the issues that are stressing the church. In such an environment, the church will continue to bleed members. Not all will find a new church. Many will become atheists, as Sullivan warns. Many others will simply abandon organized religion but retain their Christian faith. I think this last is one outlet that Sullivan seems to ignore. He is very much a social animal and the solution of isolation does not seem to impress him much.

On the other hand, it is sad that so few church leaders seem to care about the problem.

Let's Pass Up The Chance To Buy Some Killer Stem Cell Research

by Kevin O'Brien - March 12th, 2009 - Cleveland Plain Dealer

There is every expectation that the National Institutes of Health will decide, as it did in 1994, the last time it was asked, that it should have the authority and the federal funding to create human embryos expressly for purposes of research.

Bill Clinton -- hardly a rabid pro-lifer -- said no to that, after an overwhelmingly negative public response. Obama hopes to short-circuit that public response so he can answer, "Whatever." His strategy is to pretend that this is a purely scientific issue, devoid of moral and political content, when in fact, it's freighted with both.

Last night I experienced an incredibly frustrating argument with a reader on "The Rule of Law" web site. I posted an article making the point that our court has corruptly decided to determine what citizens with special interests are allowed to take from other citizens who have not wronged them, on the premise that someone of a different ethnicity at some point in history wronged others of their ethnicity. The plaintiffs weren't wronged by our society but their ancestors are claimed to have been wronged, by people who under some argument could be related to the government at that time.

The presumed wrong happened before they were born. Since then members of their ethnicity voted to join America as citizens. Their children, now citizens as well, want to claim special rights which will be denied to other citizens on the basis of ethnicity alone. To those who have not heard of the issue, I am talking about the Native Hawaiian issue of land ownership. Native Hawaiians want public lands granted to them alone on the premise that they were taken form their ancestors and white citizens of today should not share their use.

In the view of many, all white American citizens alive today are guilty of every historical wrong that every non-white ethnic group can find in the history books. That is really the argument I find difficult to accept. The entire focus is on grievances that happened 100 years ago, or more, being the responsibility of people alive today based solely on their ethnicity. Haggling about specific sets of facts of what happened back then cannot be allowed to distract us from the simple question, "When did equal treatment under the law allow one citizen to be viewed differently than another when it beneifts him to have ethnicity considered but not when it does not?" If ethnicity can be viewed as the basis for a right, why can't whites claim the same right?

Isn't it just as logical to argue that Native Hawaiian failure to succeed is their own fault and they owe whites alive today extra taxes for the failure of their ancestors to prosper within our society? Would that seem rational? Hitler used logic similar to the logic of these Native Hawaiians to hold Jews accountable for hypothetical crimes of an earlier day. We dismissed that argument without question.

I am not responsible, and will not tolerate, paying for the special privileges of ANY ethnic group who are citizens of our land - for what some other arguably Caucasian did 150 years ago to ancestors of these citizens. Do not try and argue about the historical details because it is simply not reasonable to ask anyone to tolerate such abuse.

The argument over issues such as these becomes exhausting because bias on the part of each side is rejected by the other side. The same applies to the issue in this article on abortion.

This is an issue where two sides argue about totally different issues and the passion on both sides is weighted with bias. No one listens. America is caught in the middle.

The people on the pro-choice side do not believe in the sanctity of human life, for whatever reason. They see this as an issue where the embryo-fetus-child is dependent on the mother totally, holding her hostage. They therefore want a legal definition that says until that dependence is ended, the mother and the mother alone shall have sole god-like determination of what happens to the child.

The people on the pro-life side oppose pre-marital sex, and believe that if the woman has sex, she should have no further say if that sex results in the starting the creation of a child. She should be denied help from any medical personnel who agree with her choice to end any pregnancy. Both she and the medical personnel should be made criminals.

The pro-life side has been enraged by our court's adoption of a nearly indefensible legal interpretation that the pro-choice side gets its way under a bizarre twisting of legal precedent. The process of determining the outcome by a democratic process has been sabotaged. Rage is the result. Thus any political determination of any related issue is fraught with suppressed rage as well.

That is where the stem cell research issue comes in. Permitting the creation of embryos for the purpose of research, simply reminds pro-life supporters of the fact that their views are held in contempt by both their opponents and the court system. Rubbing their faces in this situation is not going to increase the chances for a rational solution.

Obama is playing with fire. Actually our entire society is playing with fire for allowing our courts to interfere with the basic premise of our society. Suppressed rage is not conducive to the effective working of any democracy based republic. Ours is no exception.

A Conservative Viewpoint - Liberal’s Use Media To Quell Dissent

Article by Bob Steinburg
- Edenton, North Carolina: Cradle of the Colony

The liberal wing of the Democratic Party aided by many of their minions in the main stream media have recently been claiming that talk radio show personality Rush Limbaugh is the official spokesperson for the Republican Party. Limbaugh, a showman extraordinaire, is a conservative Republican with a weekly listening audience estimated to be as high as 20 million. Whatever the number, this much is certain; his audience eclipses that of all other nationally syndicated radio personalities. Limbaugh broadcasts weekdays on more than 600 stations across America. Love him or loathe him, one can’t deny his impact on American politics.

Limbaugh’s shtick is he portrays himself as someone who is right 99.9 percent of the time. He has a propensity for stirring up controversy and is seldom mild mannered. He upholds conservative principles with a flair that delights most of his listeners, and agitates those with a differing point of view. It works. Limbaugh earns in excess of $50 million a year as a result of advertisers willing to dole out huge sums of money to have the opportunity to reach his large audience. Because of his polarizing persona, he is the perfect boogey-man to those on the left.

What many fail to consider is that Limbaugh can be as tough on Republicans as Democrats. Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush can attest to that. When Bill Clinton was in the White House he was fair game. No one should be surprised Barack Obama is on Limbaugh’s hit parade.

The media and the far left are all over Limbaugh lately because of his on-air comment: “If Obama’s agenda is far left collectivism, some say socialism, as a conservative, why would I want him to succeed?” Obama responded later, “You just can’t listen to Rush Limbaugh and get it done.”

Suddenly Limbaugh’s honest and personal dissent was seized upon by team Obama to help diffuse criticism of a president that has yet to convince investors that his prescription for America’s financial woes will work.

Limbaugh’s not the only one with doubts. The Dow Jones Average was at 9326 on Election Day. At the closing bell on Inauguration Day, the market fell 350 points, closing below 8000. When Obama signed his stimulus bill into law on Feb.17 the market fell another 345 points to close at 7502. On Feb.27 when he announced his proposed budget for the year the market reacted to the news by dropping 417 points to close at 6700. In fact, since Obama’s election, through March 9, the market has dropped 30 percent. This is the worst stock market performance in history for any new American president.

Are Obama’s precipitous remedies for our ailing economy the cause of the continued and historic market decline? Or are those like Limbaugh who disagree with his remedies responsible? Democrats were quick to blame Bush and Republicans for being intolerant of opposing points of view during the last eight years. But now many Democrats expect Republicans, who have grave misgivings about Obama’s unprecedented spending initiatives, to go along to get along. It’s precisely that thinking on the part of both parties that got us into this mess.

Rush Limbaugh and the Republicans in Congress are being portrayed as “obstructionists,” by the left; from the Hollywood elite to the liberal media.

Bill Moyer, who poses as a journalist, despises conservatism. He often refers to conservatives as “Right wing wrecking crews who are trying to destroy America.” Moyer’s is certainly entitled to his views. But the fact that he gets to express his partisanship on PBS, the tax subsidized Public Broadcasting Network, seems unfair.

The Daily Kos is a bigoted left wing Web site. Its founder, Markous Moulitsas Zuniga had every Democratic candidate running for president bowing and genuflecting before him to gain his Web sites favor. Liberals, who now like to refer to themselves as “Progressives,” give this site two to four million visits a day. This is the same site that started the rumor that Sarah Palin’s child with Down Syndrome may not have been her child, but her daughters, and it was one of their of their milder accusations.

The New York Times is doing its part too. Author Bernie Goldberg, a nine time Emmy award winner for journalism, six with CBS and three with HBO, characterizes Times publisher Arthur Solzberger and Executive Editor Bill Keller’s view of conservatives this way: “Conservatives are wrong and morally inferior.” The once proud “Gray Lady,” known for having more words than pictures, is said to soon be facing bankruptcy. In spite of huge declines in readership, they continue to churn out their liberal message.

MSNBC is another lap dog for the left. Chris Matthews said in glowing coverage of Obama’s speech at the `04 Democratic convention, “I have to tell ya, a little chill in my, in my legs now.” And then in February 2008 while hosting the show “Hardball” following Obama’s primary victories in Virginia and Maryland, he said: “I felt this thrill going up my leg.” Matthews and Keith Olbermann, another MSNBC stalwart, were deemed so biased, that they were sacked last year from election anchor coverage by the left leaning network.

It’s interesting how many on the left, including the White House, are using Limbaugh’s words, as though he were speaking for the Republican Party. Even RNC Chairman Michael Steele said Limbaugh is simply an entertainer who at times makes incendiary comments.

Clearly the left’s “Limbaugh strategy” is meant to deflect attention away from the miserable economy by characterizing Republicans as those who aren’t team players and simply want our economy to fail so that they may once again regain their power. Sacrificing ones values and beliefs may be good for the team, but miserable for the soul and the strength of one’s convictions.

Bob is right. Those on the left work very hard to stop anyone on the right from even arguing a position of which they disapprove. It is a standard smear technique they were taught by one of their revered philosophers, Saul Alinsky in his book, Rules for Radicals. Obama is a master at using the Alinsky techniques of deceitful positions and personal smears.

Today there was an article by Mike Adams about a college professor in Connecticut who hates guns. One of his students made a presentation on the subject of gun control which argued that concealed weapons permits would reduce crime and save lives. The professor was outraged. His solution? He called the police and reported the student as having threatened the safety of his class. Though he had clearly committed no crime, the student was a questioned for hours. The professor actually stated the premise that discussing guns favorably makes one violent and is an indication of someone who is a threat to society. The student has no recourse for this professor’s outrageous charges.

The intimidation of Rush Limbaugh is not intended to silence Rush alone, but is intended to solicit support for the concept of smearing anyone who disagrees with their political views. It is going to get a lot worse. Democrats are feeling quite cocky right now and are talking seriously about closing down, not just Rush Limbaugh, but all of conservative talk radio.

If Democrats are successful in this abuse of our Constitution, America will not remain a free nation.

Land Lessons Help Bertie County Students

by Staff - March/April 2009 (Publication Date) - NC Farm Bureau Magazine

There’s a new school in Bertie County, and it’s preparing students for college in a whole new way. When the school opened its doors to the first freshman class in the fall of 2008, nine students embarked on a new path in life.

Some students want to be engineers, a few veterinarians, others graphic designers and a number of them horticulturalists. What’s unique about this group of students is they are only freshmen in high school, but they’ve already started working on their career plans and college credits.

The idea for Bertie County Early College Agriscience High School began in 2007 when Dr. Chip Zullinger had the idea to incorporate the area’s agricultural roots with high school education and the promotion of higher education. The decision was made to create a high school program in conjunction with North Carolina State University that would focus on agricultural science.

Great article on Bertie County's innovative new high school.

Dog Days Of Summer

One Stranger Can Change
An Entire Town

Press Release

Will Patton and Richard Herd Star in the Drama Debuting on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment on April 21st.

EDENTON, NC – From executive producer Rick Eldridge, CEO of The Film Foundry (and executive producer of the award-winning family feature The Ultimate Gift) comes the heartfelt drama DOG DAYS OF SUMMER. The film is a poignant masterpiece centering on the discovery of truth and a journey of restoration. DOG DAYS OF SUMMER debuts on DVD April 21 from Anchor Bay Entertainment for the suggested retail price of $19.97.

The Christian Book Seller, 303 South Broad Street in Edenton will be the setting where producer/director Mark Freiburger will sign the first-release DVDs on Tuesday, April 21st at 11 am. Movieguide has called the film, “One of the best cutting edge movies to probe the human condition.” Ted Baehr praises it as “reminiscent of Ray Bradbury.”

Obie Award-winning actor Will Patton (A Mighty Heart, Remember the Titans, Armageddon) stars as Eli Cottonmouth, a stranger who captures the attention of two boys and leads them on a journey that soon begins to uncover the secrets of a quiet southern town. As Eli recreates the true essence of the community by building a miniature model of the city, the boys are shocked to discover their town isn’t as perfect as it seems.

The film includes supporting performances from Richard Herd (“Seinfeld,” “Star Trek Voyager”), Devon Gearhart (Changeling), Colin Ford (“Journeyman,” Push) and R. Keith Harris (Junebug, The List).

Shot entirely in historic Edenton, North Carolina, DOG DAYS OF SUMMER was produced and directed by first-time helmer, Mark Freiburger, and was based on an original screenplay by Travis Beacham and Christopher J. Waild, all 2005 graduates of the North Carolina School of the Arts.

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER, which has garnered The Dove Family Approved for 12+Seal, includes “The Dark Room” bonus featurette.

Synopsis
A perfect town. Or so it seems. Then one summer, a mysterious stranger arrives with a simple proposition and a powerful secret. The newcomer, Eli Cottonmouth, bewitches the townsfolk with his charm. His intentions concern the town fathers, and his secrecy captivates two curious boys.

As Eli recreates the true essence of the community by making a miniature model of the town, he uses the boys as his eyes and ears to gather information. Armed with his ancient camera, they snap pictures of small town life.

With each new photo, Eli changes the way the boys look at their town. Their childish wonderment is shattered as the boys' eyes are opened to what’s really happening. Eli's hidden agenda shocks the townspeople and threatens the existence of the entire community.


Contact:
Nancy Nicholls
nancy.nicholls@ncmail.net
252-482-3400 or 800-775-0111

A Cruel School Move

Editorial - March 9th, 2009 - Chicago Tribune

We wrote last week about Democratic efforts to strip 1,900 low-income Washington children of $7,500 "opportunity scholarships" to attend private schools.

It's an experiment in school vouchers, an experiment with little potential downside. But it's an experiment that was launched in 2004 by a Republican-controlled Congress. Today it's on the verge of extinction because the Democratic-controlled Congress wants to do the bidding of public-school teachers unions.

I wonder how Darrell Allison, the black President of Parents for Educational Freedom feels about the President he backed killing this program he thinks will help minority children? It is ironic that the only time you can get blacks to stop smearing Republicans with the charge of racism is when they suspend the insults for just a moment to let us vote for a good education plan for their children. Then they return to their hate filled mantra of ridicule and vitriol. Of course they will never really hold Democrats to account for the poor schools since the Education Unions control the Democrat Party.

Nor will they ever explain why Republicans vote in favor of voucher programs that help minorities if they really were racists. The argument that we support these programs because we care about the children getting a good education is dismissed with sneers, though there is no other rational explanation.

I think I am tired of the insults. Since vouchers primarily help the children of people who vote Democrat, I just stopped supporting them. You watch. The next thing that will happen is someone will call me a racist. The only problem is, they already do. So no big deal.

Inner Banks Humor - Politics

Rotary Hears About Small Town Main Street Progress

Robert Murphrey of the State of North Carolina Department of Commerce, Small Town Main Street provided the program for the Windsor Rotary meeting yesterday.




Our Rotary President, Collins Cooper, led the introductory ceremonies.



Our crowd was as usual, enthusiastic and numerous.



Mr. Murphrey's presentation was well received. He captioned it, community Update. He talked about a number of local Work Programs that were being supported by the in what he called our primary trade area. He covered some examples of programs that are being studied. He closed by inviting everyone to attend the regularly scheduled meeting of the Windsor Small Town committee, which was being held that night.



The meeting was closed by the traditional presenting of the cobalt blue coffee mug by Collins.

Farmers Uneasy About Early Obama Moves

by Philip Brasher - March 6th, 2009 - Star-Gazette

The Obama administration is bringing more change than many farmers, including some who supported him, bargained for.

It's not just his proposal to eliminate direct payments to farmers who have more than $500,000 in annual gross sales, a level that would cut off the typical full-time farmer without regard to their profit or loss in a given year, critics say.

About 81,000 farmers nationwide would lose their payments, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated.

It is typical that the hard left extremists of the Obama regime cannot understand the difference between gross and net sales. If a farmer gets a net profit of a typical 5%, that means a years farming at $500,000 gross would pay him $25,000 net. To proclaim that size of a farm as a "big" agribusiness that should be denied any assistance, as Obama's White House officials portray it, is simply idiocy. $5,000,000, ten times as much, is not a "big" agribusiness. That higher number barely qualifies as "small" agribusiness and not a family farm. Where do these Obama minions get their delusions? Do they have no experience at all?

A Conservative Viewpoint - Breathing Life Into Lincoln’s Words

Article by Bob Steinburg
- Edenton, North Carolina: Cradle of the Colony

It was a mild fall day on Nov. 19, 1863 in Gettysburg, Pa., a town of 2400 people, located 90 miles north of Washington, D. C. President Abraham Lincoln was there to deliver a speech that afternoon, to dedicate the new Soldiers National Cemetery.

The Union army had defeated those of the Confederacy four and one half months earlier at the Battle of Gettysburg. Seventy-five hundred brave souls lost their lives in that two day conflict.

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was short, lasting just over two minutes. “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here…,” he said. Concluding his remarks, Lincoln said “…that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and- that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

On June 1, 1865, Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner eulogized the slain Lincoln by observing, “The world noted at once what he said, and will never cease to remember it.”

Have we lost site of Lincoln’s hallowed words spoken on that Gettysburg battlefield more than 145 years ago? Do we still believe that a government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth? That belief is being severely tested today, as Americans struggle to comprehend what has happened to open, honest and transparent government.

The evidence of the people being led astray by local, state and national legislators is widespread. In many cases they have partnered up with greedy bankers, corporate executives and lobbyists, forming a seemingly impenetrable alliance of corruption and deceit.

In a We Media/Zogby poll conducted last month, 63 percent of Americans believe small business and entrepreneurs will lead our nation to a better future. Fifty-two percent say it will come from science and technology. Government, with 31 percent is clearly not seen as the answer; nor large corporations and business leaders at just 21 percent.

What’s revealing about this poll is that our government with its unparalleled spending on bailing out big corporations and banks is bending over backward to accommodate those with the least amount of confidence.

President Barack Obama is calling on Congress to allow the Bush tax cuts on income, dividends and capital gains to lapse after 2010 for individuals who make more than $250,000 per year. Many small business owners fall into this category. So while those with whom we have the least confidence are being helped the most, those in which we have the most confidence are being penalized. Is anybody in government listening?

Most of us feel helpless. We’re watching a lifetime of savings going down the drain, our values are being compromised, our jobs shipped overseas and our cries of outrage are ignored. This is certainly not government of the people, by the people and for the people of which Lincoln spoke.

I was at the most recent monthly Chowan County Board of Commissioners meeting in Edenton, with a standing room only audience. The county is looking at a deficit of close to $1 million for this fiscal year, which ends in June. Chowan is still trying to recover from the loss of $20 million in reserves over the last five years, resulting from apparent mismanagement.

Chowan County elected three new commissioners last November. One of the new commissioners was elected chairman, and another vice-chairman. This new board is being extremely open with its meetings.

Chowan begins its meetings with an open comment period for citizens to speak their mind. Eddy Goodwin, the board’s new chairman is seeking even more citizen participation. He often will turn to the audience before a vote and ask if anyone has any comments; he’ll even ask for a show of hands to see who might agree or disagree with a particular topic.

This may not conform to strict parliamentary procedure, but the folks seem to like it. After losing all confidence in county government following the startling financial revelations of last year, this appears to be a refreshing change from the way business had been conducted in the past. In the old days the county manager ran the show and the board virtually rubberstamped his every whim. Citizen input didn’t seem to matter then. From the commissioners’ standpoint, it does now.

When I first met Goodwin last year he was considering running for county commissioner. The financial crisis in Chowan had yet to erupt. Yet I remember with great clarity what he told me as we sat across the table. Quoting Lincoln, Goodwin said he believed in government of the people, by the people and for the people. He said he sensed that was not occurring in Chowan County so he was throwing his hat in the ring.

Goodwin returned to Chowan after many years of government service at home and abroad. He could have retired anywhere but chose to come home. He talked straight during his campaign and told folks they might not like him for some of the tough decisions he might have to make if elected. But he also told voters he hoped they would see him as a straight shooter who would always strive to do what’s right. So far, he and the entire board of commissioners appear to be living up to that. And most of the folks in Chowan are beginning to feel not only reassured, but heard.

Listening; that’s something there’s precious little of these days in Washington, Raleigh and many county and municipal governments across the land. They too would be wise to remember Mr. Lincoln’s poignant words. At least one small county in North Carolina appears to be having, as Lincoln said, “a birth of new freedom.” It would be nice if our state and national leaders did the same.

Just as long as they don’t listen to the people who insist that a free ride is what they deserve. Those who focus not on what is good for all society but what is good for them personally are subversive of good democracy. I have long argued a serious problem for America is that we are a generous country. It becomes a serious problem whenever that generosity is exhibited through government. It is individual generosity that has led us repeatedly to offer a helping hand to those in need. However in every case, those with greedy ulterior motives have, over time, converted each governement program to offer a helping hand into a corrupt program that provides a free ride instead. Yet we never seem to learn that letting government be the helping hand is CERTAIN to be corrupted. The helping hand always becomes a free ride. Always.

Bill Of Rights - Edenton Exhibit Focuses On Freedom Of Speech

Originally posted April 21st, 2007

Edenton was a great choice for one of the stops on the "Bill of Rights Tour" for the state of North Carolina. The 1767 Chowan County Courthouse, the finest Georgian courthouse in the South, is one of the most important public buildings in colonial America. As the oldest government building in North Carolina, it is a National Historic Landmark.




This historic building provides a great backdrop for the importance of the issues affecting freedom that arose during the colonial period and created our "Bill of Rights". This period influences the freedoms we enjoy today as a result of the discussions of the leaders of that time. The process by which those freedoms are being attacked and eroded today echoes the way personal freedom was attacked during the colonial period in America. Studying this period is a great way to learn about freedom and how hard it is to keep.





This Courthouse, with its magnificent "green" and view of the upper reaches of the Albemarle Sound, has long been a place where history is made. The recent U.S. Supreme Court Rulings in Kelo and McCain-Feingold, are proof that freedom remains under attack today even as our freedoms were under attack when this courthouse was built. Only diligence by citizens who value freedom will make the rights enumerated in the "Bill of Rights" document displayed on this tour mean anything for future generations. We are in a critical period of history right now. This exhibit is an important part of that history . . . a history still being made.





The color guard from the local "John A. Holmes High School" in Chowan County, with their colonial era uniforms, added a very dramatic touch to the entrance of the courthouse on this day.




Many parents who value the freedoms we enjoy made sure their children got an opportunity to see this exhibit on our "Bill of Rights" so they could discuss its importance and its relevance to their lives. One of these parents was Rene' Winslow from Gates County who brought her children Elise, Trey and Elena.





Another of the early groups on Friday morning was Kay Barker's high school class, also from Gates County.

It is sometimes disappointing how few people are aware of the American Patriot for whom Gates County is named. Their is a famous picture of General Horatio Gates accepting the surrender of British forces at Saratoga during our Revolutionary war (You can see the painting representing that occasion in the courthouse in Gatesville). This was an important early victory in the American Revolutionary war that kept the war going long enough to assure our ultimate victory. General Gates was a former British Army Officer who chose the freedom of the new world over the ease of the old world. His struggles and choices remind us how tough choosing freedom over tradition can be.




Deputy Sheriff White, ROTC members Riddick and Nixon, and Deputy Sheriff Fuller, provided security just inside the entrance to the courthouse for this day. There was a great deal of security around. This is a very valuable document and state and local officials were serious about security.





There were several people on hand at the initial registration point to describe the different choices visitors had. People could view many things of interest in the exhibits and around the courthouse. Guides did their best to assure everyone knew the choices.





The most important exhibit was the U.S. Bill of Rights document itself. Above, visitors were able to read several well done panels that described what the document was, how it came to be lost and then recovered, and information about the tour in which Edenton was a part. The exhibit took up most of the second floor of the courthouse building.





The actual Bill of Rights parchment, from March 4, 1789 with its faded ink (most likely a type of ink called "iron gall") was kept as far as possible away from the windows on the front of the courthouse to protect it from further fading. Due to the potential damage of light to the fragile document, flash pictures were forbidden. There were guides beside the display who answered questions about the document. The historical uniforms created a great mood. It was a special exhibit and very well done.




Downstairs in the courtroom of the building, Barbara King gave a history of the 1767 Courthouse, and described many interesting parts of our heritage and its history. Behind the courthouse is the old Edenton jail and some exhibits about the forms of punishment that were common in that day.





"Punishment in the colonial era focused on public humiliation . . . " That quote is the way the plaque beside the "stocks" and "whipping post" behind the 1767 Courthouse starts. However the "stocks" and "whipping post" are part and parcel of the brutal way people dealt with crime (and even trivial offenses that simply annoyed others) in those bygone days. The inability to differentiate between different types of acts is the background to our problems with crime. It can be funny to see a friend or loved one temporarily locked up in these replicas. However the issue is not inherently funny. The issue of how to deal with those who break our laws is crucial to a just society.



The list of crimes on the plaque give us some clue to the complexity of the problem. Mixed in with crimes where one individual harms another, such as theft, forgery, arson and wife-beating are petty offenses such as "breaking the Sabbath", "women having a sharp tongue", "being drunk", vagrancy, gambling, blasphemy and witchcraft. The plaque also lists crimes against the state such as treason, sedition and perjury. All three types of problems are a concern. Mixing them together led to punishment for some trivial offenses being excessive on the part of some public officials. That is one of the reasons early Americans did not trust government.

They thus banned "cruel and unusual" punishments as one part of the eighth amendment in the Bill of Rights. Unfortunately that ban has led to a judicial system whose excessive protections for the guilty have rendered its ability to care about victims almost non-existent, the opposite extreme of the colonial days. Tens of thousands die in our society as a result of system where people who are obviously guilty of horrible crimes being allowed to go free because some official not connected with the crime makes an unintentional trivial mistake that offends some judge.

This problem alone justifies the public attention to this "Tour of the Bill of Rights". Our courts are in trouble. When the intent of the "Bill of Rights" can be twisted by judges so it provides them with power to interfere with the intelligent functioning of a just society, it proves that freedom is not something that just happens due to a piece of paper. The people must understand what is in that piece of paper and demand that our government abide by its meaning. There can be no greater explanation for the importance of this tour than our retaining freedom.





Another event happening in Edenton this day was the Edenton Biennial Pilgrimage of Homes and Countryside. One stop on the "pilgrimage" was the "Barker House". Above a group of ladies playing instruments typical of the colonial period provided chamber music to entertain the "pilgrims" on the tour. There are numerous other Edenton area homes on the tour. The tour proves what an historic region we have.





Towards the end of the day, we returned to the Courthouse for an important part of the Bill of Rights Tour, the special presentations about the freedoms it contains.





JoAnne Williford from the State of North Carolina introduced the speaker for the evening's presentation on the Freedom of Speech. She explained briefly the intent of the tour and the process by which different amendments were to be addressed as a part of the tour. This night's event in Edenton was to focus on this right from among the five rights in the first amendment. The five rights guaranteed in the first amendment are freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and the right to petition government for redress of grievances. The one most often under attack is the freedom of speech.





The speaker was Dr. Freddie Parker from North Carolina Central University. Dr. Parker opened up with some history, including the fact that North Carolina was one of the states that was very slow in approving the U.S. Constitution. The first meeting of North Carolina delegates to consider it met in Hillsborough, NC. This meeting resulted in a vote of 184 delegates voting against the Constitution and only 84 votes for it. Part of the reason for opposition was the absence of a "Bill of Rights" for individuals to limit the power of the new government being formed. Until the Bill of Rights was promised, NC did not approve the Constitution.





Early in his speech, Dr. Parker noted that the Supreme Court still struggles with the concept of free speech. Recent rulings have provided almost absolute protection for pornography, including child pornography, while not providing protection for much political speech that is unpopular with government bureaucrats. It is an amazing time when the courts care more about those who prey on our children than it does for the very speech of citizens that the right was intended to protect. The over broad application of sedition laws to punish those who said things the government found threatening was a driving force behind the inclusion of this right in the first amendment, however today sedition is never prosecuted. Our current judges seem to be trying to assure that pornography joins sedition as a crime that is not enforced.




After the speech concluded we walked back to Broad Street to catch some of the "Boogie on Broad" street music festival that ended the day's Edenton festivities. Above some young kids are skating to the music being played.




Jubeus, a Virginia Band, was playing during the time we were there. Several other bands were scheduled to participate in this annual event.



It was a really great day about a great concept, personal freedom. The evening light created a great mood to end the day.